The present invention relates generally to a system for observing and monitoring the surface of a large predetermined area of water and, more specifically, to a monitoring buoy for providing a continuous, remote, real-time image of the surface of a large predetermined area of water.
It is desirable, in a variety of situations, to observe and monitor the surface of a large predetermined area of water for activity. For example, businesses may wish to observe and monitor shipping/traffic activity, environmental groups may wish to observe and monitor illegal fishing or dumping activity, law enforcement agencies may wish to observe and monitor drug smuggling activity, etc. Such monitoring, however, may be costly and potentially dangerous when performed on-site by an observer. Thus, it is desirable to have a system which allows such observation and monitoring to be done remotely.
Existing observation and monitoring systems suffer from several important limitations. First, existing systems are incapable of providing continuous, real-time images. Rather, existing systems typically take periodic “snapshots” of the area of interest. These snapshots are often stored for later retrieval. Second, such systems, if they are to be robust, are expensive and are often beyond the means of environmental groups, law enforcement agencies, and the like.
The present invention overcomes the limitations discussed above and provides a robust, inexpensive observation and monitoring system capable of delivering continuous, real-time images of the surface of a large predetermined area of water to an operator at a remote location.